College and Career Planning in High School

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Overview and Purpose

Introduction

This course is aimed at providing junior and senior students self made resources and knowledge to make their own informed decisions on their future after high school. Our current education system does a good job at offering students options, but sometimes too many options can lead to confusion and anxiety. As graduation approaches, this feeling can intensify and lead to students making uninformed or impulsive decisions. Empowering students by giving them the ability to make informed decisions about their own life can not only lower this anxiety about the future, but give students a method of thinking to possibly make other important decisions in their life.

Course Overview

This course will follow a process that caters to the individual. Each student has different goals and has a different set of values so each lesson is designed for students to use different resources to find what is right for them and then organize that information to prevent overload. Some other courses or forms of guidance can be biased based on a variety of reasons, but this gives freedom to the student to learn about themselves and focus on what will make them both successful and happy.

Needs Assessment

The results of a survey, found on the portfolio page, given to high school juniors and seniors showed that a majority of students either have some form of stress about their future life after high school, feel uninformed about life at college or in the workforce, and feel like current supports at school do not do enough to subdue those concerns. Students generally felt a lack of direction or purpose, especially those who had no prior career goals.

Performance Objectives

By the end of this course students will:

Identify careers that combine their interest, their skills, what is in demand and what will make a wage enough to live a life they want to live and create a list with those options
Develop pathways to reach their desired career. This involves multiple plans that will keep students on track with no set timetable to reduce anxiety about the future
Create a document with information on colleges, trade schools or jobs for easy comparison and to compact information in one central location
Design their own resources and templates that they can use for the application process and future professional and academic goals

Course Units

Figure 1: Ikigai- showing the interconnections of what is important when looking for a successful and enjoyable career. These connections are based off of the individual and can be tailored to what each student finds most important to them [8]

Unit 1: What are Students Interested In?

Learners will be able to:

Establish interests

Connect interests to career options by finding their ikigai
Find majors/ internships that lead to desired careers

Unit 2: Finding Colleges, Universities or Careers that Match Career Goals and Interests

Learners will be able to:

Use resources to find trade jobs or colleges that have majors and options that match career and personal interests
Organize their findings in a concise document where it can be compared to other options

Unit 3: Establishing Options to Accomplish Their Educational and Career Goals

Learners will be able to:

Create a weighted pros and cons list for 3-5 colleges or jobs

Analyze classes within potential college majors that suit interests
Compare and contrast benefits from job opportunities in the workforce

Unit 4: Create Useful Materials and Find Resources to Help Accomplish Future Goals

Learners will be able to:

Create an educational or professional resume

Find resources on attainable scholarships

Develop roommate vetting questions
Create a template for a budget that can be used presently and in the future

Extended Resources

[1] Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R.R. (1999). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. (Chapter 6). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

[2] Chillaih, V. (2020, June 27). Ikigai: A Japanese philosophy for finding your purpose. YouTube. https://youtu.be/rOZtBlrMvek

[3] Content Team, M. T. (n.d.). Home. MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/a7asu8d/quantitative-pros-and-cons

[4] Davis, E. A. (2014). Scaffolding learning. Encyclopedia of Science Education.

[5] Free professional resume templates. (n.d.). https://www.indeed.com/profile/resume-templates

[6] Herrity, J. (n.d.). High school resume tips and example | indeed.com. How To Craft a High School Resume in 6 Steps (With xamples). https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/high-school-resume-tips

[7] How to write a high school resume. The Princeton Review. (2023, November 3). https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/high-school-resume

[8] Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a joyful life. The Government of Japan - JapanGov -. (2024, February 29). https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2022/03/ikigai_japanese_secret_to_a_joyful_life.html

[9] Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2020). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design. Routledge.

[10] Manzo, J. (2024). Mini-course goal setting and grit. Mini-course goal setting and grite

[11] McTighe & Wiggins (2012). The Understanding by Design® Framework. Alexandra, VA: ASCD.

[12] Peterson, W. by C., Peterson, C., & A dedicated member of the Resume Genius team with a passion for the career space. (2024, April 30). 27 free google docs resume templates [download to drive]. Resume Genius. https://resumegenius.com/resume-templates/google-docs-resume-templates

[13] Scheiter, K. & Gerjets, P. (2007). Learner control in hypermedia environments. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 285-307.

[14] Shambaugh R.N. & Magliaro, S.G. (1997).Mastering the possibilities: A process approach to instructional design

[15] Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(2), 64-70.